viernes, 3 de agosto de 2012

Meaning

An interjection or exclamation of surprise.

Origin

This little term derived in the USA as a euphemistic shorthand for Jesus; in other words it is a minced oath. That original meaning is largely forgotten by those who use it now, who are in any account fewer than before, as it is now sounds rather old-fashioned. The further shortening of simple gee is still widely used in the USA, although neither version was ever common elsewhere. The first record of it appearing in print is from Cody and Arlington's Life on the Border, 1876: